Sunday, June 18, 2017

Chad, Our Dad-- a Life in Plaid

Hello from the Emmett kids! With a little sneaking around, we've managed to hack the blog for a day, just to celebrate our old man Chad and his fabulous life as father to us-- Sarah, Joel, Will. We've seen a lot of blogs about ourselves over the years, some flattering (happy birthday posts) and some less so (the infamous "on top of that" post). So, here we are, ready to give our blog master dad a taste of his own medicine.

Here's a great picture from all the way back in 1998. Dad (in plaid) takes a nap with baby Sarah, who looks pretty cozy, despite the deafening snores she's probably being subjected too. The point: Dad's been our number one fan since we were just twinkles in his eye, and he's always been happy to let us join in on whatever he's got planned, whether it be nap-time, a road trip, or a scheme to make kim-chi from scratch (we're more enthusiastic about some plans than others).

Our dad is a pretty great teacher. Among other things he's taught us how to ride our bikes (without training wheels eventually), take care of a garden, and rock sunglasses in all kinds of conditions.

Sarah's not the only one who learned from the best. Here's Will with sunglasses of his own.

Take a moment to appreciate this beauty of this photo: Dad giving a clogging performance at an impromptu family talent show in Jerusalem. Note the subtle plaid and sunglasses.

Clogging isn't Dad's only talent. He's an excellent pumpkin carver too! Not only does he still have all 10 fingers, but he was also able to make some impressive works of art. Too bad all of those masterpieces became mulch material long ago.

Dad is also a skillful builder of front yard toboggan runs, which are still the stuff of neighborhood legend. We doubly appreciated his skill, knowing that he sacrificed an excellent powder day just to give us some wonderful winter memories.

Speaking of skiing, did you know that last year we visited every ski resort in Utah??? We're glad we have a Dad who's always been committed to wholesome family fun, just like he was committed to getting his money's worth with those Yeti Passes.

Something else our Dad is committed to: his Scottish Heritage. Here he is striking a pretty suave pose on the Scottish border, overjoyed to be finally visiting his ancestral homeland. Could this be the source of his love for plaid? We're sure thankful that he opts for button downs instead of kilts.

While Dad may be Scottish to the core, he's always made it clear to us that Indonesia is the best country on the face of the planet. Here he is on one of his solo jaunts to Indonesia, posing was some intimidating warriors. They're sporting their traditional garb, while Dad sports his--a lovely plaid button down, complete with Khakis and a skin-cancer-preventing hat.

As Emmett kids, we've gone on a lot of amazing trips with our Dad. Here we are at Lassen Volcanic National Park in 2008, the year we toured the many volcanoes of the West Coast.

This is us at the end of the trip, looking a lot less enthusiastic. While it's clear that at the moment we just wanted to go home, in hindsight we're glad that our Dad forced us to take such an epic detour. Dad's a big fan of taking the scenic route and driving new roads, and usually we're happy tag along, even if we do run out of energy long before Dad even considers calling it quits.

But don't worry, not all of our trips have been educational. Dad also knows just when a Disney vacation is needed (and what out-of-the-way route we can take to get there). Dad's also a photography expert, and, even when he isn't the one taking the picture, he knows just how to improve even the silliest family portrait.

In addition to the memorable expression of terror on his face in both of these pictures, it should also be acknowledged that Dad is truly sacrificing his own safety for the sake of the shot. Instead of keeping his hands and arms inside the log at all times as instructed, he's deliberately disobeying the rules to cover up the single riders tagging along with us in each picture. Now that's dedication.

To be clear, the Emmett family isn't always on the road. Sometimes we just hang out at home. This is a picture of us on Christmas Eve, reading the Christmas story. Sure plaid and clogging and skiing and visiting new places are all good and well, but what Dad really cares about is us, and he shows us every day by sharing his other favorite things with us.

So happy Father's Day, Dad! We hope that this blog post passes muster and we love you lots!!